This deals with my experience using products
I have obtained from Port Supply over the past few years and am now using
in a liveaboard cruising mode. I have been actively cruising since
1988 on a 32 foot sailboat, which I completely rebuilt during the period
1993-1998 while working as a yacht broker in Hawaii and Guam. During
that rebuild and upgrade, my source of supply was through Port Supply or
West Marine. I have been disappointed in the quality of some products
which you may be interested to know about.

1. Explorer Foul Weather Gear, Model
404209S (Jacket) and Model 404318S (Bib Pants). Two sets (one for
each of us) were useless after six months of wear. The waterproofing
disappeared quickly and mildew stains appeared on the white portion of
the material. The bib pants also have a design flaw .. no double
zipper makes relieving the bladder inconvenient. The bib pants have
begun flecking off bits of yellow material which stick to the cockpit teak
like glue. I have ordered the Henri Lloyd brand for each of us and hope
to find better service, especially at the price for this gear (the price
of one set exceeds my monthly Social Security retirement payment!).
(We used them once and they are fantastic ... now it's wait and see)

2. Morse MJB Control, Model
159964. The backing plate on this control is made of mild steel.
Likewise for the hardware used to affix the control cables. Three
year's use is the maximum to be expected, even though the mild steel parts
were primed and painted prior to installation. Dissimilar metals
in the construction require routine disassembly, cleaning and greasing
every six months. The chromed handles develop corrosion spots and
the retaining allen screws corrode into place within a year.

3. Morse DC Utility Control,
Model 160010. The metal base of this utility control (which I use
for engine shutoff) rusts after a few months in a salt water environment.
It incorporates a locking wheel which becomes useless due to corrosion
in the same timeframe.

4. West Marine Removable/Fixed
Mount Transom Ladder, Model 519009 (Four-step). After four months
of use the swing-down part of the ladder developed, on one side, corrosion
cracks at the point where it was bent 90 degrees. It has now, after
one year, rusted through and will soon be unsafe to use. (The
lower portion was replaced and is doing fine)

5. Cole Hersee Sealed Rocker Switches,
Model 191769. These expensive switches are waterproof, but out of
four I have had to replace three within nine months. Two (now
four) of the switches quit working due to internal failure and one
had the spade terminal corrode away. I sent a failed switch and accompanying
letter to Cole Hersee but got no response.

6. Whale Inline Electrical Pump,
Model 226803. Subject to failure after four to six months when used
with salt water. The impeller rusts away from the motor shaft.
Could benefit from a strainer on the input since it is powerful enough
to suck up small fish but no suitable strainer appears available.

7. AVON Underseat Storage Bag,
Model 332759. Though waterproof, it leaks through the top and fills
with water! A good place to keep fish alive but not good for the
contents you want to keep dry. The zipper should be a YKK plastic
one since the original has a pot metal slide which corrodes. The
cushion on top was destroyed by UV within four to five months and the plastic
underneath the material became brittle and broke apart. Totally useless
and thrown away after one year. Also purchased an AVON Bow Bag
at the same time but it is no longer listed in the catalog. It also
was destroyed by UV, the material ripped, the zipper corroded and it was
discarded after four months use. (To replace the Underseat Storage
Bag, I fabricated a similar but better design from Sunbrella acrylic fabric
and a cushion made from layers of a camping mattress pad. I put grommets
in the bottom to drain any water that may get in and covered the zipper
to keep out water)

8. West Marine Rail Mount Outboard
Bracket, Model 519884. It mounts a lightweight 3.3HP motor to
the pushpit on our vessel. The "UV-stabilized polypropylene" advertised
in the catalog should also say that it helps it last about 18 months.
It is now brittle and I expect it to break apart anytime.

9. Perko Hatch Adjuster. The
one I have is no longer listed but is similar to model 424319. The
zinc portion at the end corroded and broke after two year's service.
I have ordered a SeaFit SS model 264010 as a replacement.

10. Navico Tillerpilot TP200CX
and Hand Programmer CP600. A total disaster. This saga began
in March 1998. Suzie Mapes can give you details. Two Tillerpilots
and FOUR Hand Programmers have failed within hours or days of use.
After the last failure mid-way through a six-day passage I threw in the
towel and have ordered Raytheon Autohelm replacements. I sent a letter
with the last return to be forwarded to Navico-Simrad concerning the failures
up to that point. (The Raytheon ST1000Plus and the ST600R Autopilot
Control Unit are performing well. The features on these units FAR
exceed the Naivico ones ... and they are a bit less expensive!!!
See warning note under the article "Automate the windvane")

We now have a maxim: "Anything designed
for the marine environment should only be used indoors in the middle of
a desert".

Is it beyond reason to expect 'marine'
quality products to provide service for cruisers (not those that liveaboard
in a marina with plenty of freshwater and only occasionally go to sea)?
Perhaps designating items as 'recommended for cruising' (for the ones that
DO work) would be useful to the buyer. There are some that perform
quite well and I'd be happy to say what works OK for me.